Claire?

"Claire?"

Claire? That name– it sounds right. It... feels, right. I opened my eyes.

"Huh?" I mumbled. Everything was different from the hospital room I was in only moments ago. Vibrant and warm. I wasn't alone, either.

"Claire, were you even listening?" The girl in front of me pouted, clearly upset I didn't catch a single word she said. She had short brown fur covering her, antlers, and white freckles, but she was nicely dressed. She put my nasty old hospital robe to shame.

"Uhhhhh..." I became flustered, unsure what to say. What could I say? Who's Claire? Where am I? How am I here? I didn't know, in honest. But I did know that something about it felt– right. I felt more alive than I had in years. I felt more real, but how could a dream make me feel more real? I felt more grounded. Like I belonged. Like my life had purpose–

"Jeez Claire, what's been wrong with you recently? You've been suuuuuper spacey! I practically watched you fall asleep during the lecture on Zanzuria's history! Usually you love all this nerdy stuff!" The girl berated me for being out of character for someone I wasn't.

"Dawn, leave her alone, she probably has a good reason for staying up too late. Probably being too into her books like always. Or maybe that lecture was just boring, like you describing the things you did at your bond last night." A different girl spoke up in my defense, this one with green skin and an oddly froggish appearance. Dawn? I suppose this was the other girl's name. Now who was this one?

"Oh shut up Gwendolyn! You're just jealous your family decided to bond with some weird frog thing than a cute saytr like mine!" Dawn spoke defensively without missing a beat, earning an eye roll from Gwendolyn. 

Both names felt familiar. But neither rung a bell no matter how hard I racked my brain. Though these girls reminded me of– well, now I can't even remember who they remind me of anymore. They were Selena Burfret's friends, or my clique at the very least. 

"Well maybe Claire doesn't feel like talking, it's pretty hard when you dominate the conversation." Gwendolyn suggested, fed up with Dawn's attitude.

"Well fine then! If I talk so much, how about Claire talks about what she did last night for bonding?!" Dawn huffed, it didn't take a genius to see she was peeved to no longer be the center of attention.

"Uhm... Bonding? Last night? I..." what in the world was a bond, even? Bond with what? My family? My family that couldn't be bothered to see me in the hospital while I slowly slipped away? Not happening. "I didn't do anything really, just spent last night alone."

"Really? Boring!" She dramatically yawned, emphasizing her disinterest.

"Claire, that's super dangerous, you do know a lot of people are dying cause they're not bonded enough, right? I mean, your kind has to be rare enough, I haven't seen something remotely resembling you- well, ever. Be careful with neglecting your bond." Gwendolyn sounded incredibly concerned, worrying for my well-being. It felt really nice... it had been years since anyone had shown interest like that.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!" A man yelped out, breaking the casual conversation. We had looked over, he was cradling a woman, one that looked rather similar to him in some ways. But she looked how I did in that hospital bed. She was slipping away. "No... Catherine... I can't- I can't do this without you! I don't understand! I thought... I thought your bond was strong."

Dawn just shrugged off the turmoil the man was in "Boring."

"How could you say that Dawn?" The words just slipped out of my mouth, I didn't think. But the weird look she and Gwendolyn gave me made me feel like I had grown three heads. Had I? I don't really know the kind of things that are normal here...

"Told you Claire, lots of people are dying cause their bond isn't strong enough." Gwendolyn sighed out.

"Yea Claire, that's what she gets for not being better bonded. Besides, why do you care? She's just some random." Dawn eyed me suspiciously. 

"I?... whatever, I guess..." I rubbed the back of my neck. Was I really the only one there that cared about what was happening to that man? Nobody else in the plaza even turned their head. Like the event was invisible to them. Nobody rushed in to help, to even ask if they were ok. Where am I for people to be this apathetic? 

Just then, a roar echoed through the town. I flinched of course, being forced out of my thoughts.

Dawn sighed "Guess I need to go home, dad said no later than the wyvern's bellow. See you guys tomorrow at school!" She waved as she walked off, her hooves making a satisfying pattern against the dirt ground. No roads, I suppose. I looked at Gwendolyn.

"I need to get home for dinner anyway. But do you want my book so you can read up on what you missed in class? Dawn's right, you totally spaced out during lecture. You looked like a ghoul bond with the lack of anything in your eyes." She was monotone, but I got the impression she was teasing me. I nodded, nonetheless. Any information I could get I wasn't just about to pass up on! She handed over a book labeled "The History Behine Zanzuria and it's Magic". Perfect! Just what I needed! I took it with a grateful look

But before we went our separate ways, Gwendolyn looked at me, a very serious look on her face, this was important. "Claire." She began, "Don't skip out on bonding tonight. Ok? It'd really suck if you died." 

She... cared? About me? I nodded, and that seemed to soothe her, even a little. She started walking home without another word, as did I.

Did I know where I was going? Nope. Did my body? Apparently, as I let my feet carry me. I walked and watched the sky turn a magnificent magenta and purple. Oddly, hues of green as well. At the end of my mindless walking, I was at a cottage. I cautiously pushed the door open, unsure what I'd find.

"Claire? You've finally home hun? That took you longer than normal." A woman spoke from farther in the house. I went to the source.

"Mom?" That's who this is? My mother? She sure doesn't look like who my mother was... She's beautiful, though, white fluffy wings on her back. Just like a dove, everything about her was soft from the moment our eyes met, her voice as warm as the hug she gave me.

"I started to get worried you got eaten or something by a demented... more and more people are turning nowadays, you know... haha, I probably would've if anything would've happened to you." She hugged me tightly, like I was something special, significant to her. Fragile, but not in the way I was used to from being sick, like she cared to keep me pristine. 

"Yea, I'm ok... just... talking with my friends longer than I thought. Saw a woman die, too... I think her husband was pretty heartbroken." I replied, which made her tense.

"Well, it's a good thing you started heading home then. Grief is becoming one of the biggest reasons more people are becoming dementeds! You could've- oh goodness Claire... you need to start heading home right after school, ok? You don't have a way to protect yourself- they'd eat you alive! My precious baby's skin would be like a cream puff to those monsters..." She pinched my cheeks, making them more red aside from the embarrassment from being chided... This woman was sweet. It made me start wondering, how long would it take for her to realize, I'm not her Claire. 

I didn't mention it, but I had an unsettling feeling she'd notice if I stayed too long in her presence. I brushed her hands off me. "Gross, mom! I'm not some defenseless cream puff... ugh, I need to go study, so I'm going to go up to my room." I huffed, walking away. She seemed a tad disheartened from the tone I gave her, and I couldn't help but feel guilty. I sighed, "Hey, mom?... I love you." I didn't stick around for her reaction, but I could hear the fluttering of her wings. I looked down at the book in my hands as I walked up the stairs.